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Falmouth High School’s Derek Almeida named Patriots High School Coach of the Week

Foxborough, Mass. – In recognition of Falmouth High School’s undefeated 9-0 record, its most recent 53-19 victory over Milton in the Division 2A South Sectional semifinal, and the program’s first Atlantic Coast League championship in 20 years, Clippers head coach Derek Almeida has been named this week’s New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.

Last Friday night’s win earned Falmouth a spot in the Division 2A South final as it’s now set to take on Westwood this Friday, November 11 at home for the sectional championship. This season marked Almeida’s third year at the head of the Clippers football team after years spent as an assistant coach in Falmouth under his father, Dana Almeida. Since beginning his career with a 4-6 record in 2014, Almeida has led Falmouth to an 8-3 finish in 2015 and an unbeaten slate so far this year as the Clippers look to continue that streak deep into the MIAA Tournament.

Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team’s executive director of community affairs, visited the Falmouth players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Clippers football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach Almeida. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the Patriots weekly television show, “Patriots All Access,” which airs on Friday night at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV in Boston and will be available immediately after on Patriots.com.

This is the 21st year in which the Patriots join the National Football League in honoring local schools and coaches in the High School Coach of the Week program, which recognizes outstanding performances and promotes a strong foundation for youth football across New England. The 2016 season marks the sixth year Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that are honored each week as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation’s commitment to youth football initiatives.

“We are pleased to honor the Falmouth High School football program and Coach Almeida as they’ve reached so many new heights this season,” Tippett said. “We are excited to see their successes continue and wish the Clippers all the best as they continue on in the playoffs.”

At the conclusion of the fall, one of the weekly winners will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year and will receive a $2,000 contribution towards the school’s football program.

For the sixth straight year, the Patriots will also be accepting nominations for High School Coach of the Week honors. Those who wish to nominate a high school football coach in New England who leads a team to an exceptional weekly performance or reaches a personal career milestone are encouraged to send submissions right after teams have played their games on Friday or Saturday to nominatecoach@patriots.com. Only nominations submitted after each game will be considered.

The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is the non-profit through which the Patriots support charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout New England. This support comes in the form of direct grants, in-kind donations and player appearances. The foundation assists a variety of charitable organizations and programs throughout New England by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives.